The Franklin Group
by mermaidburd
Summary: Amber Smith has lived with the Franklin Group ever since she was six all because her mother was a Necromancer and her father was a Werewolf. When two new siblings show up unannounced, it's up to her and four other half-and-half supernaturals to break out and find the parents that they had left behind so long ago.


The Franklin Group

Chapter 1

The last time I saw my mother was nine years ago, but it is still as painful as if it was yesterday. I remember every event leading up to the last moment I saw her, and a few, not many, afterwards.

It had been a summer afternoon. We had decided to go to the park, Mom had even brought us a picnic. I wanted to ask were Dad was, but whenever I did Mom's eyes began to fill with tears and then she would change the subject, and I didn't want to ruin our afternoon.

After sliding down the slide for the fifteenth time, I was called over for lunch. Mom had set up her art easel, pointed over at the forest that surrounded the park. She had her paintbrush in her hair and tubes of paint that I was never allowed to touch placed gently on the top of the picnic basket.

I remember what I ate that day-a bologna sandwich with sour cream chips and grape juice that I used to pretend was Dad's wine. Mom finished her own sandwich-turkey-before standing up to paint. Even though I finished I stayed back. Watching Mom paint was one of my favorite things, especially when she painted flowers, or the sunset. I watched as she added blues and reds to the trees that only she could see. When I looked at trees, I simply saw green and brown. But when Mom looked she must have seen so much more.

She had just begun to paint the field of flowers when a gentle, warm hand was placed on my shoulder. Thinking it was Dad, off early from work, I turned wearing a smile as big as the sun. Only the sun in my eyed quickly melted when I saw a man with dark skin and hair as white as snow instead of a man with pale skin and hair as dark as night.

"Mom-" I began to say just as the man grabbed my other shoulder.

"Don't worry, Amber, we're your friends. Lets let your Mommy stay here and paint and we go get some ice cream?"

I tried to scoot away from him, but the second I did his grip on my shoulders tightened and I couldn't move.

"Mom-" I say louder this time. But before she can do as much as turn her head there is a potato sack over my head and I am picked up and slung over someone-probably the snow haired man-shoulder. I kick and I scream. I hear someone ask what is going on and I tell them that this man is not my Dad and he is taking me away from my mom. But no one hears me because whoever is holding me begins to walk again. He yells at me to stop, but I don't. I am placed in a car and I can feel rope on my wrists. There is a sudden pain in my arm, like a needle. A second later I feel my eyes begin to droop, but I have to fight it. I have to get back to my Mom. I will not go to sleep. I will kick and scream until she hears me-I have to get away. I have to-

The engine rumbles, coming to life and I feel the lurching sensation as the car begins to drive away from the park, leaving my mother behind to paint the trees with reds and blues.

* * *

I close the hot pink notebook on my desk and try to forget about the sloppy writing. That was my first entry when they gave this book to me and told me to write down whatever was important, as well as the date. It was the only thing of mine that wasn't looked at on a regular basis. The date printed on that entry was from 9 years ago, when I was six. But I didn't need to write it down to remember.

The clock on my wall signaled that it was time for breakfast. Despite doing the same routine for 9 years, I still had an escort to the cafeteria. What was today, Wednesday? That meant waffles for breakfast. It only took me a second to change out of my pajamas and into my regular clothes-the same white t-shirt and plain linen pants that I had been wearing for years now. Even though I asked for a slightly more colorful wardrobe my request had been denied. Technically, I was never given a 'no' but I had asked three years ago and white clothes was still what was delivered.

The door with no handle opens without a knock and a blond haired boy stands with his hands behind his back. "Smith comma Amber, it is 9:00 a.m. meaning it is time for you to be escorted to breakfast. Today's meal is waffles and your choice of juice with a small bowl of strawberries." He says in a serious tone. "After breakfast you will go through your tests, monitoring your vitals, testing your blood sugar, and a few others." He says like I don't already know.

"Yea yea, I know. I'm coming." I follow Mr. Drill Sargent out of the door and into the cold grey hallway barefoot. My feet are silent against the metal, but also freezing. "Will we be going outside today?" I ask. I hated being trapped indoors, but if it's too cold or too hot, or even too windy then we aren't allowed outside after lunch.

"I do not know your complete schedule, just your routine from now to lunch." he says as we reach the end of the hallway and turn left.

I sigh, but there's nothing else to do but follow him.

Breakfast is quiet as usual. There were four people here other then me. The twins, Serena and Joseph Bichi, Thomas Darling, and Rory Martin. None of us ever talked to one another except for the twins. I'm not sure if we weren't allowed to, but we never did. The five of us all sat at different tables except for Serena and Joseph who were joined at the hip.

Only that day, I didn't count four heads. There was an extra two And they were sitting at my usual table, breaking apart their waffle and dipping it in syrup. They got the occasional glance from Joe, but it looked like no one had said a word to them. After getting my own stack of waffles, I sat across from them, not planning on saying anything.

"Where are we?" The girl, who appeared to be older then the boy next to her hissed at me from across the table. They both had dark skin and dark hair like Serena, but had dark blue eyes instead of brown like I had expected.

I looked around and saw that all eyes were on the two siblings. They obviously didn't know that we didn't talk during meal hours.

Instead of giving them the little explanation that I had, I simply raised my index finger to my lips, signaling for them to be quiet. The girl rolled her eyes but the boy simply sat in silence. I decided I liked him better of the two.

It was only a few minutes later when we were called one by one to our daily check-ups Thomas went first, then Rory, then me. I was escorted out by the blond drill Sargent again, leaving Serena, Joe, and the two new siblings behind. There was something similar between the four of them, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

* * *

I laid on a cold metal table with electro's stuck on my arms and forehead. Behind me I could hear my heartbeat on a monitor. A doctor towered over me and drew blood from my arm, but I didn't really notice. This was standard and did it every day. The doctor disappeared to check how I was 'developing'. When I was little they told me exactly what they were doing so I wouldn't be as scared. Sometimes they still give us updates, but it isn't too hard to tell that they don't give us everything. But why would they?

The doctor talks to me but I can't see him. "We are going to do a few small tests on you. You are going to feel a little bit of pain and may have sudden surges of emotion. Make sure to try and stay calm, we don't want you to bite your tongue off. "

I'm sure if the last part was supposed to be a joke or not, but I don't want to ignore it so I do what he says and take a few calming breaths.

I feel a few jolts of electricity in my arm but they feel nothing worse then mosquito stings. But why would they do this to me? I didn't do anything wrong. Why was I being punished? Cold salty tears began to spill from my eyes as I began sobbing uncontrollably. I just wanted to go home, and not my room in this prison. I wanted to see my mom and dad again. I missed them so much that it actually hurt.

But if my Mom really loved me, why didn't she save me that day at the park? And where had Dad been? What had happened between the two of them-had Dad skipped out on Mom? My tears stopped and my hans turned into fists. I began to rise, I needed to hit something, or someone, only my hands and feet were tied down and I couldn't sit up but only a few inches.

"Let me go!" I shouted. "I hate all of you! You can all go to hell, you sons of bitches!" I scream, spitting out all of the curses that I knew.

I sink back onto the table that had warmed to match my body temperature. My fit of rage decreased and I no longer felt anything, other then the fact that it was hotter then the room and I was itchy all over. Suddenly I seemed to have lost my breath and was breathing heavy. I felt my arm ripple and the bones in my back shift. I cried out in pain, but the doctors didn't seem to do anything. This shouldn't be happening-not yet anyway. I was too young. I felt my teeth sharpen in my mouth and almost all of the bones under my skin shift around. I couldn't be Changing. I was only fifteen, this wasn't supposed to happen until much later.

It seemed to pass though. The hair that had sprouted over my body receded, the waffles stayed in my stomach, and my bones stopped playing ring around the Rosie.

I was let up from the table and I still had not caught my breath. A younger doctor came over in a wheely chair. "Hello, Amber." She said with a smile. "Would you like an update?"

I nodded. Maybe my progress had something to do with my Changing early.

"Well, according to our data we've collected so far this week you show to have received most of your abilities from your father."

I nodded, knowing that. I had known that my parents had supernatural abilities. My dad was a werewolf and my mom was a necromancer. I wasn't positive, but I was pretty sure that everyone was here because their parents didn't come from the same supernatural race and the doctors wanted to see if we favored one or the other, or both.

"Does that have anything to do with me Changing this early?"

The doctor shrugged. "So far it's unclear. Your father started partial shifts when he was a little bit older then you are now, so I suspect that's why you did the same thing."

"What about my Mom? Do I uh, did I get any of her abilities?"

"Only time will tell. Have you summoned any ghosts lately?"

I shook my head, but I was pretty sure you had to be near a dead body or own something the dead person had to summon them, but I didn't say anything. Then, the blond drill Sargent from earlier came to escort me to my first two classes before lunch.


End file.
